Throat mechanism for statistical card machines



Nov. 11, 1952 E. E. LIBMAN THROAT MECHANISM FOR STATISTICAL CARDMACHINES Filed Sept. 1. 1949 INVENTOR. Earl 1 7. Llbmwn Patented Nov.11,1952

UNITED STATES PATENT orrica 2,617,649 l 1 THROAT MECHANISM FORs'ra'risTioAL .CARDMAC HINESo I Earl E. Libman B rooklyn, N. Y assignonby mesne assignments, to Burroughs Adding Machine Companyyacorporation of'ltlichigan g I Application Septemberl,19 l9,Seriall\lo.l13 59d ICIaim. (01.271444) This invention relates toimprovements in statistical card machines and has particular referenceto a, throat mechanism therefor.

An object of the invention is to prevent the accumulation of fibreparticles or thelike on one of the elements which form the card throatand thus eliminate possible jamming of cards at said throat whichotherwise might occur by reason of such accumulation.

Another object is to produce a wiping action upon a surface of a card asit passes through the throat by imparting a movement toa rotary elementforming part of said throat in a direction along the axis of saidelement and transverse to the direction of feed of the card through thethroat.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from the followingdetailed description when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea;but it is to be expressly understood that said drawing is employedmerely to facilitate the description of the invention as a whole and notto define the limits thereof, reference being had to the appended claimfor this purpose.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through a card feedmechanism, taken on the line |--l of Fig. 2, and showing the presentinvention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

The invention is shown in its application to a card feed mechanism inwhich the card magazine or chute 5 is arranged in an inclined positionand the cards are fed downwardly to the feed rollers 6 by any suitableand well known type of picker mechanism including the knives 1. Recessedin the upper surface of the chute 5 is the usual adjustable throat plate8 and cooperating therewith is a device for forming a throat throughwhich the cards 9 are fed by the picker mechanism.

Said device is mounted upon a supporting plate It to which are suitablysecured the opposed guide members ll grooved to receive the flanges I2of an adjustable block l3. Mounted above said block in the bearing I4also carried by the plate I is a micrometer adjusting screw l havingthreaded engagement with said block I3 so as to enable adjustment of thelatter in its guides II to regulate the position of the roller l6relative to the throat plate 8, said roller being iournalled for freerotation in the bearing memhers I! secured to the block l3 by means ofscrews l8. A locking screw [9 extending through the block and threadedinto the plate 10 is utilized to secure said block in adjustedpositions. A card supporting plate 20 is secured at 2| to the upper endsof the guide II and is arranged in substantial alignment with the throatformed by the plate 8 and roller I6, with the card engaging surface ofsaid plate tangential to the periphery of said roller. Said plate formsan abutment for the advance card in the stack 9 and pressure is exertedupon said stack by a weight 22 mounted in said chute.

The knife edge of the throat plate 8 prevents more than one card frompassing through the throat upon each operation of the picker mechanismand, in so passing, the surface of each card remote from said knife edgehas frictional contact with the element, in this instance the roller I6,which opposes the plate 8 to form the throat. It is well known that suchfrictional contact, when employing a plain surfaced roller having onlyangular movement about its axis of rotation, causes fibre particles onsaid remote surfaces of the card to be loosened therefrom and toaccumulate on said roller to an extent which will sooner or later forman obstruction thereon to the free passage of a. card through thethroat, which obstruction reduces the size of the throat opening withthe result that a card jam is inevitable.

To avoid such accumulation upon the surface of the roller I6 and thusmaintain the throat opening constant at all times, said roller is madeto reciprocate along its axis and transverse to the direction of feed ofa card when the latter comes into friction-a1 contact with the roller.Such movement along the axis of the roller is accomplished by providingthe reduced end portion 23 thereof with a cam groove 24 adapted toreceive the inner end of a screw threaded pin 25 mounted in the adjacentbearing member l1. With this construction, as a card is fed into thethroat its frictional contact with the surface of the roller l6 causesthe latter to rotate about its axis and the pin 25 in the cam slot 24then produces a movement of the roller along its axis which, in acomplete revolution of the roller, will produce a reciprocating movementthereof. This movement effects a wiping action upon the engaged surfaceof the card which will prevent any accumulation on the roller surface ofany fibre particles loosened from said card surf-ace by the frictionalcontact of the roller therewith.

What is claimed is:

In a statistical card feeding mechanism, a card magazine having aninclined bottom upon which cards are stacked, a throat plate mounted insaid bottom, means for feeding cards to said throat plate, a supportingstructure at the feed end of said magazine adjacent an edge of saidthroat plate and including opposed guide members, a block supportedbx'said guide, members for adjustment relative thereto and to saidthi'oalt plate, means to adjust said block, bearing men bers secured tosaid block for adjustment therewith; a roller freely journaled; saidhearingmembers and having a cam groove therein, s aiul roller combiningwith the throat plate edge to form a throat for the passage qf acardandbe ing rotatable in said bearings by: ictional tact of a card therewith;and a pin mounted in one of said bearing members and er'igagieableir-Lsaid cam groove for reciprocating said roller ax,-

4 ially when it is rotated to sweep the surfaces of the cards passingthrough said throat.

EARL E. LIBMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesv are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 286,689 Dooley Oct. 16, 18831,232,459 Clark July 3, 1917 2,016,711 Ford Oct. 8, 1935'2','176;1-.7.6\ Hale Oct. 17, 1939 253575 296 Ford May 8, 1945 2,44,569 Flord, Mar. 15, 1949 2,470,442 Malmros et al May 17, 1949

